People often think that hard economic times are the wrong time to start a business, but many of the largest companies today got their start during the worst economic time in modern history: the Great Depression. During hard economic times, business patterns shift. People stop making their traditional purchases and look for something different. Companies that don’t adjust to this go out of business, creating opportunities for entrepreneurs with a clear vision for the future. Launching a business that succeeds during these times takes quite a bit of preparation but for those willing to put in the work, the rewards can be rich.

The first thing to do is clearly identify the product or service you’ll offer, the target audience, and your plan for success. Typically this is contained in a comprehensive business plan. A successful business plan considers every aspect of your proposed business, including products or services offered, projected prices, costs of operation, location, marketing, what need you’re filling (and the research to prove the need actually exists), business insurance, and more. If you’ll need a loan to start the business, a bank will require a copy of your business plan to evaluate your ability to repay the loan.

Just as the first three rules of buying a home are location, location, location, considering the placement of your business is critical. What other businesses are in the area? If you plan to open a cake decorating business, are there already two bakeries and another cake decorator in the area? What are the demographics of the area, including the income levels? What are the traffic patterns? Where does the public transport system run? All this and more should be considered when placing your new business, and the results of these findings should also be incorporated into your business plan.

Finalise the pre-work. This means that you obtain permits and licenses, if needed, and begin shopping for your actual location, if you’ll have one. Many businesses start from someone’s home, but there are other times you’ll want the credibility that a separate storefront gives you. If you will require a loan, now is the time to polish that business plan and perhaps even have an expert look it over before submitting it to the bank.

Once everything is ready, start interviewing any employees you plan to hire, purchase your supplies and equipment, and begin outfitting the space you’ll use to start your business. A website is critical. Whether you build it yourself or pay an expert, it must look clean, professional, and be easy to find. There are free website-design programs that can help you look professional and keep you on budget.

Once you’re open for business, make sure your products or services are all that you advertise and more, and put a premium on customer service. People remember a good experience they’ve had when shopping for a product or service. You want to be the business they remember with a smile, because that’s what will ensure your future success.

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Some people want to use their iPhone or iPad to do more than play video games. Some actually use them to remotely control their work computer. Take a closer look at some of the iOS apps that an entrepreneur can use to make their life easier here in this article.

Your iProduct Can Connect To Other Computers

TeamViewer for Remote Control

The iPhone or iPad can be used just like any other computer but thanks to their mobility they are much more convenient. For those with the entrepreneurial spirit,  mobility is important, and some apps are targeted just for them. The first is called “TeamViewer for Remote Control“. This is an app that connects to your other computers so that you can use them while you are are on the run. It is billed as secure and fast, working with Linux, Mac and Windows systems. It is already being used with 100 million computers in the world. It works with more than just an iPhone or iPad. The iPod Touch can also control another computer remotely. It comes in a free version and professional version which will cost $99 that’s £63.34 GBP. If you feel like jumping ship it also comes with an Android version as well.

An iOS App That Works The Market

etrade mobile pro app

Another iOS app dedicated to entrepreneurs is the “E*TRADE Mobile Pro” app. This works on the iPad but not the iPhone. It is for those who are involved in the market trade. It has real time quotes and breaking market news included. One of the features of the E*TRADE Mobile Pro iPad app is its security. No personal information is stored on the app. A lost or stolen iPad will not end up as a loss of a trading account. The app has graphs and uptick and downtick pointers. This app allows the user to do trading anytime and anywhere. The price is right. It is free.

An Entrepreneurial App For Webmasters

For the entrepreneur who is also a webmaster, there is “Analytics HD”. This is another app that will only work with an iPad, not an iPhone. It concentrates all the information from a Google Analytics program on one page. It is designed to be easier than looking at the web page version online. Multiple accounts are no problem and has the “today” report that Google does not offer. Date ranges can be customized easily. Some people prefer this app to logging in with their Mac. This one is going to ping the wallet or purse. It costs seven $6.99  that’s £4.47 GBP .

AnalyticsHD ipad app

Do you want to learn more on the author? Denis works for a media recruitment agency where you can get some interesting resources to help you get your dream job.

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What Your Body Language Says About You

People rarely realise that what they do is just as important as what they say. Body language is a nonverbal means of communication. Your posture, eye movements, facial expressions, and other types of body language all play a part in the message you convey to people. Sometimes people unintentionally give the wrong message because they’re not aware of how what they’re doing appears to other people.

Correct Posture

Do you remember as a child your parents or teachers telling you to sit up straight? The reason they tried to instill this lesson in your mind at an early age is because posture says a lot about you. If you tend to slouch when you’re sitting, you look lazy or bored.

If you’re talking to someone and you’re standing slumped, they may thing you’re not interested in what they’re saying to you. Sitting and standing up straight means that you’re attentive and focused on what you’re doing.

Eye Contact

When you’re talking to someone, it’s rude to look around the room. You should always look at the person speaking to you; it’s a sign of respect.

Many people have inadvertently offended someone because they look around in the middle of a conversation. Even if you’re bored to tears, keep your eyes focused on the person speaking to you so that you don’t commit a social faux pas.

Facial Expressions

The face has a language of its own. Frowning and smiling both convey very distinct messages without any need for words. In some cases, that can be a good thing.

It’s good to smile when you want someone to know you approve of what they’re saying. However, smiling while they’re complaining isn’t a good idea. By the same token, you also don’t want to frown when someone is telling you good news; unless you want them to know that you don’t think the news is that great.

Eyes and Eyebrows

Raising your one or both your eyebrows can mean different things like you don’t understand what the person is saying or that you’re skeptical. Rolling your eyes and eyebrows up usually means you don’t believe something or you think the person is flat out lying.

The distinctions are very subtle, but most people instinctively recognise them. Just like you should think before you speak, don’t let your eyes betray your emotions unless you want them to.

Arms and Hands

Some people have a tendency to cross their arms. This can be interpreted as lack of interest, defiance or boredom depending on the posture and facial expressions being used at the same time. It’s usually a good idea to keep your arms relaxed by your side while someone is speaking to you.

Some body language is instinctive or a matter of habit; however, it’s a wise idea to be aware what kind of message you’re sending nonverbally.

People have been turned down for jobs, fought arguments and even ended relationships because they used the wrong body language at the wrong time. Instead of letting your body language work against you, think about how you appear to others and use it to your advantage.

About the Author: Tony Smith is a full-time writer with a passion for business, technology, and communications. When he’s not focused on those things, he can often be found studying the environment and issues surrounding fuel production at Marcellus gas sites and other shales around the country.

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I did; I found it riveting, and that was long before the shaving foam appeared. It started me thinking about the line between the “organisation” and the staff, and who’s responsible when things go wrong.

We also looked at some of the legal aspects of the accountability of businesses in our tips for preparing for the UK Bribery Act 2011

Actually, UK law does recognise the concept of holding the “organisation” to account (especially for safety), and directors of companies and trustees of charities are legally accountable individually and jointly. This means they can be sued for something an employee did. They have to make sure there are proper systems and procedures, and that staff know and understand them, and they have to monitor that the systems and procedures work and that staff comply with them.

Getting back to Messrs Murdoch, their main message was “We knew nothing”.

Imagine a similar scene: you’re discussing with one of your staff some major disaster that’s happened in their department, and they say “I had no idea what was going on.”

My guess is you might reach one (or several) of the following unattractive conclusions:

• They’re clearly remote / out of touch and not making an effort to find out what goes on
• Their staff are clearly too scared of them to tell them honestly what was going on.
• Their management is so lax they don’t notice anything and their staff can get away with murder.
• They did know what was going on but they didn’t think there was anything wrong with it.
• They did know what was going on but they’ve been “selectively” ignoring it or they didn’t care as long as staff got results.
• They did know what was going on but bottled out of dealing with it.

Now imagine you have to sit in front of a judge or your most important customer and explain what happened and why. Scary!

Management and Leadership Tips – What Can We Learn?

So what can we learn from all this for our own organisations? I think there are some common-sense do’s and don’ts.

If you don’t already – you might want to make sure that your organisation is doing the following:

• Do have policies or codes of business ethics making clear what your rules are, and make sure staff see them and understand them.

• Do have regular discussions with everyone about what’s ok / not ok for people to do and why – not just covering what’s unlawful, but especially what’s legal but unethical as far as your organisation is concerned.

• Do make clear to managers that they must be role models and that they’re responsible for knowing what’s going on and for making sure staff act appropriately.

• You can use appraisals and quality systems to help ensure people act appropriately.

• Do help managers by training them to deal with difficult people and situations (see our post on dealing with difficult people).

• Don’t “selectively” ignore an illegal or inappropriate practice because it’s difficult to deal with or because it saves cost / increases profit. It will come back to bite you!

• Do take action as soon as you see something wrong happening.

If you or your organisation needs help with any of the aspects listed above, you might like to consider some of the following training courses:

• Leadership Training
• Performance Appraisals Training
• Management Training for New Managers

As for the Murdochs and News International … who knows what’ll happen next.

Thanks to our Management Trainer Christine for providing these tips

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Train the Trainer Training

Here at Silicon Beach Training we’re immensely proud of the quality of training that we provide – and we love teaching other people how to deliver great training sessions too, via our Train the Trainer course.

Knowing your subject matter is only part of being able to deliver great training. Understanding how adults learn, engaging with them effectively, and planning your training session properly are all essential to ensuring that attendees understand and retain what you teach them.

In this video, filmed on one of our Train the Trainer courses – our trainer Mary guides delegates through the stages of planning and designing an effective training session.

We’ve summarised the video below with some great tips on how to plan your own session.

These are edited highlights of this section of our workshop. We cover a lot more besides on out 2-day train the trainer course here in Brighton, Sussex – so why not come along and hone your training technique?

By Silicon Beach Training on Vimeo.

Train the Trainer: Planning a 10 Minute Training Session – Top Tips

When you plan a training session, its not just about what subjects you’re going to cover when. A well planned training session will provide the following elements for each stage:

• Content
• Questioning Techniques
• Activities

During our Train the Trainer course each delegate is asked to deliver and refine their own short training session. This is broadly broken down as follows:

Introduction

The introduction of the training session is about acquisition. You introduce the topic, introduce yourself, and most importantly introduce the delegates.

Ask delegates to introduce themselves before you introduce yourself - give them your name, but don’t start boring them with your own background and experience until they’ve had a chance to speak. Asking the delegates to introduce themselves first puts the focus on the learners, gets their vocal cords going and breaks the ice. It’ll also help you to understand their experience so that you can adapt your training session as needed to the learners’ needs.

During the introduction, find out as a minimum:

• Delegates’ Names
• Their Jobs
• Their Existing Experience

Use round robin and overall questioning to do this (we cover a range of questioning techniques in detail on the course!)

Timetable

Now introduce the timetable - its very important that delegates understand from the start of the course what’s on offer, as they can then make clear in their minds from the beginning how the training will relate to them and how they will use it. At this stage learners will engage with the contract of the learning. If you don’t bother to establish the agenda and dive straight in to the content – the focus is all on you as the trainer.

Ask delegates if they are happy with the timetable. Is it what they were expecting, and is there anything missing that they would like to cover in addition?

Find out the delegates’ aims and write them up on a flip chart or wall for reference throughout the course.

If there are practical exercises within the course that delegates will need to prepare for (and if it’s going to be an effective course there should be!) they need to know when these will occur so that they don’y get taken by surprise later on.

Learning Section

You can now move on to covering the actual content of the training…

Objectives

Set out the objectives for each session. It’s equally important to find out delegates’ existing experience of that topic before you cover it – as some of the attendees may have knowledge that is beneficial to the group in addition to what you were going to deliver (or may have approached things in a slightly different way). Not all of the learning that takes place on a course comes from the trainer – the delegates can learn a lot from each others experience too!

Again – you can use the overall and round robin questioning techniques to get this information from the delegates.

Starting with an overall question to the whole group will help you to identify and activists in the group – those people who can’t wait to share their experiences. However then going round the group with round robin questions will ensure that everyone’s voice get’s heard.

Learning

Having set the objectives, you can now move on to the actual learning.

Include group work and exercises which will engage the activists and pragmatists in the group. At the same time, the theorists and reflectors in your group will still have their needs met, as you have established a good structure, timetable and objectives in your introduction.

Overall and return questioning techniques work well in the learning section

Summary / Review / Application

It’s very important to review content at the end of each session. More importantly, it should be the delegates who summarise this – not you – so that you can be sure that they the group has understood what they have learned.

This also allows an opportunity for delegates to reflect on what they have learned and the application of that in the real world, rather than just assimilating knowledge.

This is the only point where you should use the pick one questioning technique, as it depends on them having obtained knowledge during the learning section.

Personal Objectives

At the very end of your training session, you need to refer back to the original learners’ aims that you established during the introduction section. If you have planned and delivered your training session effectively, you should never find that there are any delegates who’s objectives have not been met.

By using well planned activities and questioning techniques throughout your course, you will ensure that delegates of all learning styles, reflectors, theorists, activists and pragmatists, have their learning objectives met and are able to apply what they have learned to their own requirements.

Learn More

To learn more about how to plan and deliver effective training – including activities, questioning techniques and giving feedback – attend our 2-day Train the Trainer course here in Brighton.

Call us on 01273 622272 or e-mail info@siliconbeachtraining.co.uk for more information and bookings.

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Health and Safety Training Courses

According to the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) every year on average:

• 220 people are killed
• 30,000 people injured
• 33 million working days are lost to injuries or ill health
• 25,000 people leave the workplace permanently because of harm suffered at work

The combined cost to British businesses for all of the above is somewhere in the region of £20 billion

Many of these costly work related injuries and absences can be avoided if managers receive proper Health and Safety Training.

We are pleased to announce that Silicon Beach Training is now offering accredited IOSH Managing Safely training here in Brighton, Sussex.

Attending an accredited health and safety course can not only reduce your organisation’s insurance premium costs, but can also enhance your business reputation, and increase productivity and profitability considerably.

Our 4-day Managing Safely course is priced at just £695 + vat, which includes assessment and certification.

Our first courses are coming up on:

• 12 – 15 September 2011
• 15 – 18 November 2011

Call us now on 01273 622272 or e-mail info@siliconbeachtraining.co.uk for more information and bookings.

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Silicon Beach Training now offers the increasingly popular range of Agile Project Management training courses – but what is Agile Project Management, and why is it such a big deal all of a sudden?

In March 2011 the government unveiled it’s new ICT Strategy which identified a number of problems (or challenges using their words!) with the method in which IT projects and programmes were managed and delivered, causing them to fail.  The first of these challenges being:

• “projects tend to be too big, leading to greater risk and complexity, and limiting the range of suppliers who can compete”

Silicon Beach Training now offer accredited Agile Project Management training, including the Agile Project Management Foundation course and Agile Project Management Practitioner course.

For example, if a project to implement a large IT system is deemed to take 5 years to complete, it is very likely that, in those five years circumstances (e.g. technology, customer and business requirements, even governments!) will have changed, rendering the final solution based on the original specification unfit for purpose.

A number of strategies were identified to address these challenges, one of which is “by the application of lean and agile methodologies that will reduce waste, be more responsive to changing requirements and reduce the risk of project failure”.

Agile methodologies have been used in software development for some years, but are now being applied in project management as they offer a flexible process that can change according to customer or organisational needs.

How does Agile Project Management differ from traditional project management methodologies?

Traditionally a project manager may direct the project team using a ‘command and control’ style, actively directing their team towards the work that must be completed.  Agile project management uses a different technique.  At the beginning of an Agile project a high level plan will be created by the project manager, which is based around basic requirements and a high level vision of the solution.  From there on the final project is created iteratively and incrementally, with each increment building on the previous increments.  Agile Project management also differs in the way that team members create the plans for each increment, rather than the project manager themselves.

Close collaboration between the business or customer and the project team allows the team to understand the details of potentially changing requirements and create and validate an evolving solution accordingly.

Which agile method is Agile Project Management based on?

Agile Project Management is based on the longest-established Agile method, DSDM Atern (Dynamic Systems Development Method), which is the only Agile methodology to focus on the management of Agile projects.  The Agile Project Management qualifications take the project management elements of DSDM Atern and make them available as Agile Project Management – a certified approach in its own right.

What benefits will I get by using Agile Project Management?

• Using Agile Project Management allows projects to respond to changing requirements and ensure that the solutions meet business or customer requirements
• Agile Project Management can be used in conjunction with other corporate processes such as PRINCE2 and ITIL.  The DSDM Atern agile method was developed to work alongside PRINCE2
• Agile Project Management certification offers a recognised qualification that will benefit both the individual in career development and organisations in recognising staff development

What Agile Project Management certifications are available?

Silicon Beach Training offers both the Foundation and Practitioner Agile Project Management training courses and certification.

The Foundation Exam is a one hour multiple-choice paper composed of 60 questions which assesses a delegate’s knowledge of Agile Project Management. The pass mark is 50%, or 30 correct answers.  This is taken at the end of the Agile Project Management Foundation course.

The Practitioner Exam is a two hour Objective Test – a complex multiple-choice exam that tests a delegate’s ability to apply the concepts of Agile Project Management to the running and managing of projects.  15 marks are available from each of the four questions. Delegates must achieve 50% to pass (30 marks).  This is taken at the end of the Agile Project Management Practitioner training course.

The Agile Project Management training and certifications are accredited by APMG.

To discuss your requirements for Agile Project Management training and certification please call us on 01273 622272.

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£1000 Training Grants

Training Grants are limited – application forms below…

Businesses who employ between 2 and 249 people can apply for up to £1,000 of matched funding towards any training courses that will help to develop their organisation’s people management skills. The new Leadership and Management Advisory Service (LMAS) is designed to help eligible employers  fund training and development opportunities for their senior leaders.

This funding can be used towards a range of  Silicon Beach Training’s courses, including our Management Training and Leadership Training courses, as well as other personal development programmes like our  Appraisals Training and Change Management Training courses.

If you are interested in applying and would like to discuss the courses we have available, please call us on 01273 622272 or email info@siliconbeachtraining.co.uk

Is my Organisation Eligible for a Leadership & Management Training Grant?

The Leadership & Management Training Grants are open to any organisation which:

• has 2 to 249 full time equivalent employees
• can display the potential for high or fast growth, defined as:
  • if trading for more than 12 months have the potential to increase turnover by 20% each year for three years
  • if trading for less than 12 months have the potential to achieve a turnover of £500,000 within three years of trading

How Can I Apply for a Training Grant Towards a Course at Silicon Beach Training?

1) Identify Suitable Training

Identify the training course or courses that you would like to attend – remember, the courses must help you to increase your organisation’s people management skills – so the following courses would be applicable:

• Management Skills for New Managers Training
• Leadership Skills Training
• Appraisals Training
• Change Management Training
• Plus a wide range of other training courses – please call or e-mail us to discuss your requirements in more detail
• In addition to our public scheduled courses you can also use the grants towards private or bespoke training

If you have not yet identified a suitable training course, a skills broker will be able to provide you with free advice

2) HOW TO APPLY: Organisations in the South East & South West

Download Training Funding Application Form

If your company is based in the South East or South West, you should apply for funding via Skills South East – to do this…

• Download the Application Form
• Complete the details, including the Silicon Beach Training course (or courses) you would like to attend in the “If training has already been identified” section
• Once completed return to info@skillssoutheast.co.uk with “Leadership & Management application” and your  Company/Organisation Name in the subject field

3) HOW TO APPLY: Other Regions

A list of the organisations providing the Leadership & Management Advisory Service in other areas, links to download application forms and the e-mail addresses to return the forms to are below:

London – Exemplas
Download Application Form
Tel: 01707 398202
Return Application form to: stuartw@exemplas.com

Yorkshire and the Humber – Exemplas
Download Application Form
Tel: 07739 647388
Return Application form to: simona@exemplas.com

North East – NBSL
Download Application Form
Tel: 07971 317565 (Joy Gair)
Return Application form to: l&mreferrals@nbsl.org.uk

North West – LMAS
Complete Online Form
Tel: 0845 112 0527
Email: leadership@business-enterprise.net

East of England, East Midlands and West Midlands – LMAS
Download Application Form
Tel: 0845 894 8969
Return Application form to: lmas@embltd.co.uk

How Much Training Funding Can I Apply For?

You can apply for up to £1,000 in matched funding.

This means that you must pay the same amount towards training as your training grant covers – for example:

• If you require training worth £1,000, you must contribute £500 – with the other £500 covered by the grant
• If you require training worth £2,000, you must contribute £1,000 – with the other £1,000 covered by the grant

If you have any questions relating to any of the above, please feel free to call Colin Welch at Silicon Beach Training on 01273 622272 or e-mail colin@siliconbeachtraining.co.uk

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